Embodiments of the present invention relate the field of vision treatment, and in particular to systems and methods for fine-tuning ablation profiles and other treatment shapes.
Many current laser correction techniques are based on a nominal value that reflects a constant index of refraction of the corneal stroma. These techniques do not consider the variation that may exist in the refractive index of the corneal stroma. Known techniques are often based on a nominal value, which may be 1.376, for example. Moreover, many current approaches are based on or employ a nominal value that reflects a constant radius of curvature of the anterior surface of the cornea. This can cause up to about a 2% to 3% error in ablation depth, for example.
However, such estimations may not accurately represent the actual anatomy of the ocular system, or changes that may occur in the anatomy or the ablation process as the ablation process is carried out. Hence there is a need for systems and methods that consider a variation in the refractive index, which more closely approximates the ocular anatomy. Moreover, there is a need for systems and methods that consider a variation in the radius of curvature, which more closely approximates the ocular anatomy. Embodiments of the present invention provide solutions for at least some of these needs.